Christine Blair
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Christine Marie Blair Romalotti Williams is a fictional character on the CBS soap opera The Young and the Restless, portrayed since 1983 by Lauralee Bell.
[edit] Character
Known as "Cricket", she was introduced by her photographer cousin Joe (John Denos) as a teen model at Jabot Cosmetics. Christine began her long career of saving people in distress by lecturing a pregnant Nina Webster (Tricia Cast) about how to live her life. She was engaged to Phillip Chancellor III (Thom Bierdz) until she caught him in bed with Nina, who had become her best friend.
Chris was date raped by Derek Stuart (Ken Olandt), who died jumping out a window to avoid prison. This experience inspired her to turn from from modeling to becoming a lawyer and returning to her given name, Christine. Sexually harassed by Michael Baldwin (Christian LeBlanc) when they were attorneys together at the prestigious Whitman, Walker & Wilson law firm, she trapped him by taping their conversations, which caused Michael to be fired. He then stalked her, dug through the wall from the next door apartment, and held her captive. She was saved by Paul Williams and Nathan Hastings, and Baldwin was put in prison. Chris became engaged to Dr. Scott Grainger (Peter Barton) until she found out that they had the same father.
Christine married longtime friend, rock star Danny Romalotti (Michael Damian). She divorced Danny when he had an affair with Phyllis Summers (Michelle Stafford), and supposedly got Phyllis pregnant. Christine often worked on cases with private eye Paul Williams (Doug Davidson), such as the time they flew to Vietnam to find Jack Abbot's (Peter Bergman) long-lost son, Keemo (Philip Moon). She helped Margaret (Maxine Stuart) and Miles Dugan (Parley Baer) fight their slumlord, and win decent housing for Rainbow Garden's tenants. Chris and John Silva (John Castellanos) defended April Lynch (Cindy Eilbacher), who was accused of murdering her abusive husband, Robert (Terrence E. McNally). She also discovered Victor Newman's shooting assailant, Mari Jo Mason (Diana Barton), but was kidnapped by her (she was eventually rescued by Paul and Victor). Christine enjoyed working as a legal aid attorney, assisting victims of rape, spousal abuse, and bad landlords. She also represented Victor in his divorce from Diane Jenkins (Alex Donnelley), and Sharon Newman (Sharon Case) with regaining custody of her child, Cassie (Camryn Grimes).
On Christine and Paul's wedding day, Phyllis ran them down in her car, rendering Paul impotent. Chris and Paul eventually married. They agreed they both wanted children but had trouble conceiving once they finally put her career aside long enough to try.
Michael was released from jail and convinced Christine that he was a changed man, so she testified for him and his legal license was reinstated under Chris's watchful eye. The cocky and very successful Michael was a constant thorn in Christine's side, but somehow convinced her to join him in starting a law practice together, Baldwin, Blair & Associates. The practice was so successful that she again put having a family on hold, causing a great rift in her marriage to Paul. In a desperate attempt to mend their marriage while still furthering her career, Christine took a case in Hong Kong which would mean moving there for months. Paul first balked at the idea, but then decided to "do it for them", put his career on hold and move. But at the last minute, Paul backed out, so Christine lived in Hong Kong for months on her own with very little contact. Christine was offered a case in Australia when the Hong Kong case was finished, but she turned it down and was determined to go home to Genoa City and try to mend her shattered marriage. She arrived at the apartment only to find Paul in the arms of his new client, Isabella Braña (Eva Longoria). Without a word to Paul, she accepted the case in Australia and filed for, and was soon granted, a divorce.
Isabella didn't want to tell Paul that she was pregnant because she felt that he was too hung up on Chris, so she had a brief affair with Michael and told him that he was the father. Michael was outraged at first and even drew up legal papers for her sign. But Isabella had something on Michael from the past, so he backed down and went along with her demands of rent, baby furniture, and everything she needed to live until the baby was born. Michael also arranged for a job for her in another town for afterward. Just as Michael was softening to the idea of a child and a future with Isabella, and Paul was getting involved with former wife Lauren Fenmore (Tracey E. Bregman), Paul found out about the baby's paternity and wanted to be a father to the child. With this major lie, Isabella fell out of grace with both Michael and Mary (Carolyn Conwell), Paul's mother. Paul moved in with Isabella and she continued to use manipulating Paul to keep him under her thumb as tightly as possible. Mary went to great lengths to try to convince him that Isabella was wrong for him and would ruin his life, and to convince Isabella to go away to a home for unwed mothers. All despite the fact that Isabella was providing Mary with the grandchild, and Paul with the child, they both had always wanted. Mary even begged for help from unlikely sources in Lauren, Christine, and even Michael - all of whom she disapproves as well, but had had no luck at all. But Paul moved out on his own volition when Isabella started pressuring him to get married. Their baby boy, Ricardo, was born, but unlike Isabella's delusions, Paul was not willing to become a happy family with her. Complicating things was the sudden return of Christine, who rebuffed him for the baby's sake, although she still had feelings for Paul. Paul's response was to marry Isabella.
Christine spent long hours working with Michael and they became closer, sharing dinners and their feelings together. They finally broached the subject of their past, and although Christine agreed Michael was a changed man, it still haunted her. That and her lingering feelings for Paul made it rough on Michael. But Christine decided to put the past behind her and accepted Michael's marriage proposal. Paul invited Isabella's estranged father Ricardo (William Marquez) to Ricky's christening, and father and daughter happily reunited. Michael showed up, asked Ricardo not to mention they knew each other or Isabella's past, then announced his engagement to Chris, much to Paul's rage. Paul attacked Michael, who left with a black eye. Paul showed up at Christine's apartment and forced himself on her. This storyline caused a stir among viewers as it was unknown whether it was rape or just "rough sex". The next morning Christine tracked Paul down to a deserted beach in Los Angeles where she initiated sex herself. Later Chris disappeared, leaving both Michael and Paul wondering. Christine was gone for months when the guilt got to Paul, and he told Isabella that he and Chris had sex that night. Isabella left him, only returning occasionally to see Ricky.
Chris returned in disguise as the dark-haired mysterious Kelly Simmons, bent on getting information on Isabella. Paul saw through Chris' disguise, and they came to an understanding about the "rape", but Paul chose Isabella and his son. Paul took Ricky to Isabella's parents in L.A., leaving her to finish packing for their move there. Just before they were to be married, Michael confessed to Chris that he set up Isabella to meet Paul so she and Paul would split for good, then Michael could have Chris. Chris exploded, walked out on Michael, and flew to L.A. to tell Paul the whole story. Upon their return to Genoa City, Paul moved back into their former apartment with Chris, while Isabella plotted revenge.
One night, Isabella called her only friend, Diane (now played by Susan Walters) who was with Michael, telling them someone was breaking in then screamed. When Michael arrived he found what appeared to be a bloody murder scene and Isabella missing. Christine woke up unconscious in her car in the woods and told Michael and Paul of her only memory - Isabella screaming not to hurt her, of blood, and a boat. Michael tracked down the boat, which was covered in blood, and destroyed the evidence against Chris. The night before Chris was to be arrested for Isabella's murder, she was attacked in her bathtub by a very much alive Isabella, who had drugged Christine's wine, telling her how she had set her up, while wielding a butcher knife. Paul arrived in the nick of time, slugged Isabella and knocked her out. As he was reviving the nearly drowned Christine, Michael arrived and saved them both from the crazed Isabella. The cops arrived and hauled Isabella away. She was committed to a mental institution, and Paul and Christine were free to be together once again. Michael apologized to Chris for all the misery he had caused her, she forgave him and they are still close friends.
Paul moved in with Christine, and soon proposed. Christine laughed and didn't take it seriously, so Paul moved out. Not long afterward, ex-husband Danny returned to Genoa City to lend moral support to help his sister Gina (Patty Weaver) get her life back together after the devastating loss of her restaurant by arson. The first person he visited was Christine. They were seeing a lot of each other again, while Paul was seeing his ex, Lauren Fenmore. Christine had to break up the law partnership when she went to work as an Assistant District Attorney on recommendation of Victor Newman. Ironically, her first case turned out to be prosecuting Victor for commercial bribery, with Michael as his bagman. Although Michael offered to take the rap, Victor insisted he make a deal with the DA's office to hopefully save his legal career. Michael did, and Victor was arrested and jailed the day before Christmas and refused bail. Victor was found guilty and in a last ditch attempt to keep from going to prison, offered Jack Abbott $75 million to settle. Jack laughed in his face as it was nowhere near what they lost. Victor was sentenced to community service under the supervision of Lorena Davis (Davenia McFadden). Victor was told to come up with something spectacular for his Community Service project. He found a derelict former paint factory in a seedy part of town, and financed and supervised it's renovation into the Market Street Recreation Center with the help of neighborhood volunteers and young adult children of the Genoa City wealthy. Christine finally realized she wasn't cut out to be a prosecutor, and went back into partnership with Michael, and on a whim, asked Paul to come into the firm with them as their in-house investigator. Paul, who was getting along much better with Michael these days, accepted.
Danny's son, Daniel Romalotti (Michael Graziadei) returned to Genoa City, a sixteen-year-old, to visit Danny for spring break. Phyllis ran into Daniel at Crimson Lights, realized who he was, and began making contact. She told Daniel she was his mother, and eventually he asked her to tell him the truth about his family. Once Daniel heard Phyllis's side and discovered that Danny was not his real father, he took off to confront Danny and Christine, who had resumed their romance. Daniel decided he and Phyllis should move in together so they could bond. Unable to find a suitable apartment, Phyllis and Daniel moved into Victoria Newman's (Amelia Heinle) old house on the Newman Ranch. After being exposed as a neglectful parent who dumped the kid in boarding school his entire life, Danny went back on tour.
Through a tragic turn of events, Daniel was charged with vehicular manslaughter in the death of Cassie Newman, and Christine was his attorney. Both Christine and Phyllis contacted Danny about it. But when Daniel and Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) ran away together, Danny stayed put in case they fled to him. Lily was out on bail, and Daniel went on trial for vehicular manslaughter where Christine and Paul failed to prove that Cassie was driving the car. Daniel was in contact with Danny by phone and begged him to stay away. But in a last minute save, Cassie's father, Nick (Joshua Morrow), turned over the evidence he'd been withholding - the clothes Cassie was wearing that night. The boot she was wearing matched a piece of a heel found under the accerator, and the judge set Daniel free. Lily's parents made a deal to send her away to boarding school in New Hampshire to get the DA to drop the charges against her.
